The Cogals

Cogals (pronounce it correctly: kog-al) are meetings of like-minded misfits brought together by the promise of beer, preceded by a bike ride. Cogals are free, open to all, organized by our fellow Velominati and are always followed by consumption of post-ride recovery ales and merriment. These are gatherings of unbridled observance of Rule #4.

Cogals differ themselves from other group rides by the meeting the following criteria:

  • First, Cogals are free, organized and supported through Velominati, though not necessarily a Keeper. Anyone is welcome to join a Cogal. Legally speaking, however, we have no involvement, so if you crash or die, it’s your own problem. Please be careful to study the route previously and take precautionary measures to stay safe.
  • Second, a Cogal is a day-long undertaking that focuses 100% on the bike. The rides are categorized (Casually Deliberate,  Rule #5,  Rule #10, for example) but are long. This is what you’re doing today, nothing else; see  Rule #4. Rides can be any length, but a minimum distance of 130km should be expected.
  • Third, Cogals always include a session of Malted Recovery Beverage Consumption after the ride. Whenever possible, it should also include a pre-ride espresso.

Not all the events in The Cogals are actual Cogals. We also post rides and events that are of interest to the community, as well as Keepers Tours, which are Velominati-hosted, paid cycling Tours tailored to the tastes of a velominatus.

Any member of the community is welcomed to organize a Cogal. If interested, either post your interest below or email us with the following information:

  • Date of Cogal
  • Starting Address (ideally somewhere neutral, like a café or park)
  • Route (MapMyRide, Bikely, or Strava)
  • Ride Classification (Casually Deliberate, Rule V, Rule VV, or suggest another)
  • A paragraph describing the Cogal

Upcoming Cogals

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Submit Your Own Cogal:

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  • The Cogals »

    @Buck Rogers
    Okay by me. My calendar is much more open, so anytime that works is fine. We have the luxury of a bit of time here to work out who else might participate and whether there is a date that accommodates the greatest number of riders.

  • The Cogals »

    With the proper lead out time I could convince the VMH that the Portland cogal would be an STP recon mission.

  • The Cogals »

    So I'm very very keen to do the Ronde sportive on March 31, and stay to watch the race the next day, potentially linking up with those on the Keepers' Tour.

    (Which BTW Frank, needs an apostrophe, sorry, but it's in the interests of my dental health).

    Anyway as it is a sportive I assume it isn't a pure cogal but should be entered here.

    I'd like to make bookings in the next couple of weeks but have a choice of either going with a group from my club, or if there is interest from fellow Velominati I'm happy to make a group with you guys/gals.
    I'm even working on Mrs ChrisO to ditch the kids for the weekend with the prospect of having a day to herself in Bruges while I ride.

    The plan is to stay in Bruges, arriving daytime on Friday 30th so we can pick up entry packs.

    There's lots of B&B accommodation in Bruges but obviously it would be useful if we were in the same place or at least area. http://www.booking.com for an idea of prices etc - generally 80-100 euros per night.

    Sportive is on 31st, starting in Bruge, finishing in Oudenaarde, which is about an hour away by local train.

    Sunday 1st, watch the sign-on and start from Bruge then watch the race in an establishment providing malted recovery beverages, preferably in odd-shaped glasses.

    Depart Monday morning. I gather if you come by Eurostar then the train from Brussels to Bruge is included in the price.

    So, for those who can't do the main tour but want to take in some classic action... let me know if there is interest. As I said, I'll probably do it anyway, it's just a case of which jersey I wear.

  • The Cogals »

    @ChrisO

    I could be very interested in this. I had planed on something slightly later on in April but an undertaking of this nature is best carried out as a raiding party rather than a solo mission.

    @frank

    The Cogals »

    @Buck Rogers
    If you're interested in just doing the ride - go for the 100-200.org ride, but it won't be a Cogal. No big deal obviously; just pointing it out.

    If a big enough group of Velominati ride a sportive, can that be considered as a Cogal?

  • The Cogals »

    @Steampunk


    The Cogals »

    @NateNo. Indubitably not. Having said that, I have a theory that Velominati paterfamiliae are 127% more endowed in The V (note the use of >100%, just to rankle Frank). I'll spare you all the virility angles to this, but:
    1. Our time is invariably limited, so we hammer harder.2. Our windows of opportunity are equally reduced, so Rule #9 become a fact of life.3. We have a built-in morale sucker (typically referred to as the VMH); if you can still stand upright after Mrs. Steampunk's withering tirade, you can eat cobblestones for breakfast.4. We are responsible for raising the next generation of Velominati. There's a Darwinian element to this.
    As a result of all this, Velominati paterfamiliae (love that, by the way) tend to fall more heavily into the Cognoscentus camp. I don't mind breaching Rule #11 from time to time, because to adhere to all rules all the time would tend towards Rule Holism, which isn't the Hardman way.

    Obviously biased here, but I have to COMPLETELY agree with you on this one. More than half of my total effort in riding is getting the time to ride between the VMH and the five kids all giving me crap about "TFB" and my riding time.

    byt he way, Velominati paterfamiliae is brilliant in my opinion and seems very worthy of the lexicon. For those of you without kids or a non-supportive VMH, it's a whole other world of riding out there!

  • The Cogals »

    @ChrisO

    The Cogals »

    So I'm very very keen to do the Ronde sportive on March 31, and stay to watch the race the next day, potentially linking up with those on the Keepers' Tour.
    (Which BTW Frank, needs an apostrophe, sorry, but it's in the interests of my dental health).
    Anyway as it is a sportive I assume it isn't a pure cogal but should be entered here.
    I'd like to make bookings in the next couple of weeks but have a choice of either going with a group from my club, or if there is interest from fellow Velominati I'm happy to make a group with you guys/gals.
    I'm even working on Mrs ChrisO to ditch the kids for the weekend with the prospect of having a day to herself in Bruges while I ride.
    The plan is to stay in Bruges, arriving daytime on Friday 30th so we can pick up entry packs.
    There's lots of B&B accommodation in Bruges but obviously it would be useful if we were in the same place or at least area. http://www.booking.com for an idea of prices etc - generally 80-100 euros per night.
    Sportive is on 31st, starting in Bruge, finishing in Oudenaarde, which is about an hour away by local train.
    Sunday 1st, watch the sign-on and start from Bruge then watch the race in an establishment providing malted recovery beverages, preferably in odd-shaped glasses.
    Depart Monday morning. I gather if you come by Eurostar then the train from Brussels to Bruge is included in the price.
    So, for those who can't do the main tour but want to take in some classic action... let me know if there is interest. As I said, I'll probably do it anyway, it's just a case of which jersey I wear.

    Sounds great - email our cogal address at the top and we'll get this set up with you as the organizer. One thing of note, by the way, is that we'll be announcing weekend and daily rates with or without accommodations on Monday. Get an early start on the sportive; you'll be sharing the road with 18000 people, no fun waiting in line to walk up the bergs.

  • The Cogals »

    @Chris

    If a big enough group of Velominati ride a sportive, can that be considered as a Cogal?

    Afraid not - not that it matters. A Cogal is just a name, if a bunch of you want to do the Sportive that totally kicks ass and we'd be proud to know about it, put it in the calendar, and expect race reports and loads of photos.

    But as a matter of definitions, I'll quote from the top of the page what a Cogal is:

    Cogals differ themselves from other group rides by the meeting the following criteria:

    • First, Cogals are free, organized and supported through Velominati, though not necessarily a Keeper (legally speaking, however, we have no involvement, so if you crash or die, it's your own problem. Anyone is welcome to join a Cogal.
    • Second, a Cogal is a day-long undertaking that focuses 100% on the bike. The rides are categorized (Casually Deliberate, Rule #5, Rule #10, for example) but are long. This is what you're doing today, nothing else; see Rule #4.
    • Third, Cogals always include a session of Malted Recovery Beverage Consumption after the ride. Whenever possible, it should also include a pre-ride espresso.
  • The Cogals »

    @Buck Rogers @Nate
    A couple of Father's Days ago, my wife and kids gave me a t-shirt reading "Pater Familias." This after I kept quoting O Brother Where Art Thou: "I'm the pater familias, godammit!" I suspect the Rodney Dangerfield t-shirt comes next...

  • The Cogals »

    @Buck Rogers
    I agree as well. In that vein, what about a Toronto/Southern Ontario Cogal? There is some great riding just west of TO, and I would be happy to help host.

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